NM Part 17

As the group looks about the darkened rafters of the Curio shop for the source of the scuttling noise a pile of debris from the fallen shelves moves and from it stands.. a toy soldier? 12 inchs high and crafted of tin the figure rising to it's feet raising a tiny rifle with a bayonet. From the fallen debris three more soldiers rise as well. As Alba was headed for the exit a shape drops from the rafters, to cut her off. Made and wood and standing about two feet in height a marionette wielding a pair of small daggers chatters and clatters as it lunges for her.

Marduke is grabbing a package and heading for the door, only to stop as he see's the situation Alba is in. He doesn'tdrop it and glances to the others, "We may be able to handle one, but I suspect there is a army. best to grab and run I saw!" Turning to try to start for the door again.

Sebastion looks down at the toys, and stares with an mixture of annoyance and incredulity at what had startled him. And then he hears clattering, and his head turns to see the marionette. His eyes widen, but he gathers up his package, glancing up at the rafters... and moves for the exit. In agreement with Marduke, he says, "Let's go! Who knows how many things like this are in here?! We don't have time for this!" He is clearly not enthused by the idea of Death by Toy Soldiers, either.

Remi stands right infront of that tin soldier as it appears... And can't help but tilt his head in curiousity as he blinks down at it, his rabbit ears splaying a bit. The Bard almost not seeing the toy as a threat for a moment, even... That is, until that tiny rifle is raised. The young musician blinking again, before not having any choice but to recognize it as an impending hostile act... And this place having taught him how to act and defend himself without hesitation by now. Causing his hand to snap up, palm outwards, and send an orb of swirling fire straight for the plaything without a second thought, before it can shoot. Followed by a scramble to get out of the shop, as he notices others do the same, "... What the heck!"

Ka'len comes to a standstill for a few moments, staring at the children's toys and then he draws out his blade. A hand runs down the metallic blade, leaving a glimmer in it's passing, and then he leaps forward to strike at the marionette while people try to move past, serving as a distraction and at the same time attempting to move around to the door while the slashing blade attempts to Rend the Magic controlling the marionette.

Alba skitters backward as the marionette drops from the rafters, ears slamming back. Glancing over her shoulder, she looses a quiet, sibilant noise of frustration. "...It would appear that we choose wisely..." Drawing in a deep breath, she shifts the package in her hand, tossing it toward Remi. "Remi! Catch, then leave! Quickly!" Her now-free hand dips down to bring out her other knife, and she backs toward Ka'Len, intending to stick by the swordsman during this sudden delaying action.

The toy soldier is struck by the fireball and collapses into a lump of sizzling tin and burning paint. Ka'len's blade strikes the Marionette and takes one arm off, but the wooden creature still stands. The other soldiers line up their rifle and with a series of pops and cracks open fire on Remi. The marionette leaping at Ka'len waving it's remaining dagger wildly. Other toys begin to animate, 3 more marionettes dropping from the ceiling other items stirring on shelves.

Marduke is on the get the hell out of there mode. Carrying the package he has he glances to the others, "Run, just run! Alba Sebastion, take up the rear. The rest of you grab one of the three packages and high tail it!" Looking to the new animations and shaking his head slowly and muttering, "Already short on daylight." Still heading for the door!

"Excuse me, I've already got one of these damn things!" Sebastion replies to Marduke, quite frustratedly, and he glances to Ka'Len, and to the rest of the room, and gives a grunt of anger, and tells Ka'Len, "I'm sure you're more than capable of taking my spot in that little plan, Ka'Len, I'll owe you," and then he glances back hurriedly as the store seems to come to life, and moves with more urgency to escape.

Remi turns to Alba as she calls to him, and smoothly catches that package with both hands moments later, pressing it to his chest. The bunny Bard about to make a run for it then, but finding himself a bit distracted instead as more of those tin soldiers pop up and aim their little muskets at him... The lad's eyes going a bit wide in panic, before he drops himself right to the ground, painfully so, as a volley of tiny tiny bullets end up whizzing right over him... Only to start to scramble for the exit right after, panic driving him on.

Ka'len sheathes his blade and grabs a package then he spins suddenly, using the package to whack the one armed marionette, or at least aiming to do so, before he turns heel and he starts to run after Remi, "leaving, leaving does indeed sound good!" His eyes flick to Sebastion before he calls, "just doin my part," while racing after him.

Dropping flat to the ground as the tiny rifles fire, Alba scuttles, crablike, toward the door. The moment Ka'Len disengages from the marionette, Alba hurls herself toward it, hooking the curved back edges of her daggers and twisting, seeking to hurl the murderous doll back toward its fellows.

With Alba hurling the Marionette away from the door it's clear to exit and the group hurriedly makes it's way out onto the street. The door slamming shut just in time as chunks are shot out of it from a new volley of rifle fire and several windows are shattered as well. Bob zips about at the head of the group "Daylight's going, head for the Tavern!" The sun is indeed dropping low in the sky, the sounds of pounding coming from the sealed doors of some of the houses. The natives are restless....

Marduke rushes past Alba and the others out the door and then turns offering the package to Alba, "We may not make it to the Inn in time, I have a." Pausing a moment, "Idea that might buy a little bit of time, but I need my hands." Glancing back to the shop, then glancing to the sun. Shaking his head and turning to run off towards the inn, package taken or not.

Sebastion does what's natural in this situation. He holds the package tight to his chest and he takes off as fast as he can go. He's not an olympic runner by any stretch of the imagination, but he is scared out of his mind and may not think about pacing himself until he's confident that they're not going to get jumped by more marionettes. ... or when they get close to the Tavern for that matter, since the doors are rattling and completely ruining any chance for him to settle down. "I hate puppets!" he complains, hoarsely, since he doesn't know the word 'marionette.'

Remi doesn't really wait on any ideas of plans to be told, simply starting to sprint straight in the direction of the inn the moment he gets out of the shop- tiny bullets whizzing past- and notices the position of the sun... His rabbit ears flopping behind him as he runs as full speed, package he caught clutched tight, and trying to ignore to signs of undead spirits dwelling in the buildings he passes.

Ka'len sends a quick look at Marduke and tilts his head, but as his own arms are full he takes off after Remi and Sebastion while muttering, "don't care about puppets, I hate undead things.. Mooove it folks, darkness falls swiftly!" He races, his pace easily keeping up with Remi and perhaps catching up with the panicking Sebastion.

Alba scoops the package out of Marduke's hand, clutching it tightly to her chest and hopping backward for a moment. "Hurry and do what you seek, shaman! But *be quick* for I cannot pace you long!" With that, she matches her loping stride to keep her in covering range of Marduke, her single usable dagger gleaming a dim white along the edge.

Nothing emerges from the shop to give chase, but the racket from the houses increases the further they go. It's only a matter of time before the lost souls are once more unleashed onto the streets.

Marduke glances to the houses on each side as he runs along and nods to Alba, "It is only if we are not going to make it. I have a summon I can use that can be distracting." Leaving it at that, may have to be explained later. Still the man is fast on his feet as he heads towards the Inn, "We are almost there!" Jumping a bit from one of thehouses at a rattle.

Sebastion moved at a similar pace before, when they needed to run. He's a soldier, sure, but he's a soldier that's had his skills rusting for a little while, so he's probably not nearly as fast as, say, Alba or Ka'Len. He just focuses on getting to the Tavern, taking up the lead of the group as they flee. "I hope you're right about that!" he calls back at Marduke, "These doors look like they'll burst open at any second!"

Remi really doesn't have much to do but keep running, so that's what he does, the nimble, quick young Bard pumping his legs as he sprint right past those haunted buildings, ears whipping behind his head and a panicked expression on his face, while carrying that package, arms wrapped tight around it. A brief look of reflief crossing his features as that inn comes into view.

Ka'len doesn't risk a glance behind him. He keeps his eyes forward and low, paying attention to where he's running lest a stone 'leap' out and catch his foot. Gripping the package close to his chest he races to the end and yanks the door open with one hand before he turns back, "everyone get in, get in now!!"

Dogging the heels of the party, Alba nods to Ka'Len as she passes the door. This time, it seems, just crossing the threshold isn't enough; one table is vaulted, another cleared completely, before she fetches her back up against the side of the bar, chest heaving. "...I have not," she pants, "words enough... to tell... Father Antlion... how deeply my hatred... for him... crawls...."

As the last few rays of daylight fade from the streets the slamming of doors and the howling of the lost souls rip through the street just as the last of the group rushes into the Inn and the door is slammed and barred from within. Bob drifts about spinning in slow circles. "Woo-hoo! that was a close one. Is it just me or are the days getting shorter? I alway forget when that harvest time stuff kicks in and you have to reset all the clocks in the house."

Marduke shakes his head slowly as he steps in and finds a place on the floor to collapse with a sigh, "Ugh." Resting a moment and shaking his head, "The days are indeed getting shorter it seems. Each chapter or something I don't know. This is crazy, still tomarrow we will put a dagger toanother spirit I hope." Standing up to go look for food after.

Sebastion staggers to a halt and nearly bowls into one of the pieces of furniture that dot the tavern. He steps away to find a wall to set the package against, and leans against the wall with his hands, wheezing and panting, coughing once or twice. Once he's got his breath back, he turns to go find, well, something to drink. It /is/ a tavern, and he hopes to find something that won't further dehydrate him. He gives Bob a haggard, and grumpy, leer for an extended moment, but decides just to shrug. "The stories or the shades, one or the other," he says, in mild agreement with Marduke.

Remi finally comes to a halt at about the middle of the tavern... And he quickly plops his own package down to the floor, followed by himself slumping down right next to it. Chest rising and falling as he catches his breath, ears splayed, glancing around at the others meanwhile to see if everyone made it. And as the subject of the shortened days is brought up, he nods a few times, speaking up, "I think it's the spectres we killed, yah."

Ka'len makes sure tha door is bolted then slides down against the wood, at least until he feels the banging from without, "I worry," he admits... "when we kill another there will be less daylight. Soon darkness will rule this city and we will have no choice but to travel among the damned." He looks down at the package in his arms before shuddering at the thought.

"Then we travel in a storm of metal and fire," Alba snarls, levering herself up from her place at the floor, "and we shall destroy Father Antlion, or make him *weep* for his foolishness in taking us. *Let* the sun hide its face from what we do to these shades. It *shall not stop me.*" Stalking toward the largest table, she sets the package down... carefully, for all her hands shake with restrained fury. "When dawn returns, we take these to the theater, yes?"

Marduke nods slowly as he sits down at a table with some food and a drink, "Yes, and we might have to start picking up our pace through town with the fading day light." Glancing around and shaking his head, "It may come down to fighting those things to, as much as I don't want to. They are shells with trapped souls." Sighing softly and looking to his food and shaking his head, "Get some rest, it will be a long night." Starting to eat slowly.

Sebastion finds a bottle of wine, and examines it carefully. He sighs lightly, and shrugs his shoulders, popping it open and taking a drink. "There's wine," he informs everyone, and sets it down at the bar, and turns to slink over to the package he had grabbed, and sit down against the wall.

Remi pushes himself up, picking up his package as well, and then brings it over to join with the one Alba carried, setting it down next to it as he looks at the Viera and nods a bit, "... I don't like violence much, but at this point I agree with you. We're not gonna get out of here without a big fight, I think." And he sighs then, before he goes to find himself a glass to pour some wine into, followed by a seat to slump into.

Ka'len pushes himself up and moves to add the package he carried to the ones on the table. He slips quiet for a few moments and then looks over at Marduke, "then I look at them with pity, fear yes, but pity, and I think killing the corpses the spirits are trapped within will release them.. so really we're doing them a favor." He grabs himself both a drink and something to eat before settling in to wait for first light so tht they can get a early start.

"I care not whether we aid or hinder them," Alba mutters sourly, plucking up a bottle and sniffing the dusty cork, ears folding back. "So long as they are dead and off our path." Wedging a couple fingerclaws in around the edge of the cork, she starts working it out of the bottle. "Perhaps it may yet come to pass that the town is set alight. This is a thing which would cheer me greatly upon our long road home."

A bit of drinking leads to another night of trying to get some rest with the soulless dead clawing at the walls. The morning sun driving them back to their holes as the light spills out into the streets once more.

Marduke is up early and ready to go the moment the sun is starting to show itself, at least what can be seen of it. He glancdes to the others and leans up against the door, one of the packages next to him ready for him to carry along. "Up and at it, we have little timeto waste." No cheer, just grimness to it, a hard fact.

Sebastion gets up, hurries over to grab something to eat quickly, and turns to go grab the package as he chews at his quick snack. He gets ready to go, stepping right up for the door. He glances over to Marduke with a tired frown on his face, something of a consistent facet to Sebastion's mood at this point. "I hope this completes one of the stories," he murmurs aloud.

Remi managed to find some old string during the night, and quickly jury-rigged his package to let it dangle from his shoulder, the Bard prefering to keep both hands free to fight now that things are getting increasingly more grim. His expression almost blank as he steps out of the door behind some of the others, in no mood to talk, just wanting to get all of this over with.

Ka'len is ready when the banging dies away and the sun rises.. He lifts one of the packages as well and nods to the others while getting the door, "I'd suggest we go fast lest we end up running out of time again." A quick glance is cast towards Remi and his makeshift idea before he chuckles, though with little amusement, before heading out to make way to the theatre quickly.

With all of the packages taken up, Alba lopes ahead of the party, knives out and ready. Like Remi, the Viera seems far too tired and irritable for idle chatter at the moment, but her eyes and ears remain alert and moving, in case the town decides to be the first to break the routine of peace under the sunlight.

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